The trend: The number of family caregivers in the US continues to increase, and many are taking on more responsibility, according to a survey of nearly 6,900 family caregivers ages 18+ from the AARP & National Alliance for Caregiving. Our take: Healthcare provider organizations and pharma companies can build relationships with families and drive brand loyalty by developing resources that target caregivers rather than patients. For instance, providers with patients who have family caregivers can offer transportation services to appointments, be accessible during times of the day that best work for caretakers, and connect caregivers with resources on how to get compensated for their work. Additionally, drugmakers should create educational materials that help caregivers better understand their recipients’ disease, manage their treatment regimens, and administer medications.
The news: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released COVID-19 vaccine recommendations that contradict the federal government’s recent guidance shift. Our take: Conflicting vaccine guidance is creating confusion for patients and healthcare providers, while making public discourse on vaccines more divisive. The responsibility to fix this will now fall on local leaders. States, communities, and physicians must take charge. They need to deliver clear, evidence-based vaccine information directly to people through local clinics, schools, and pharmacies. They must also actively campaign for insurers to continue covering the shots.
The news: A closely watched GLP-1 experimental pill from Viking Therapeutics achieved lower-than-anticipated weight loss results in study data released Tuesday. Our take: While weight loss pills won't be as powerful as shots, they still offer a good solution. Losing 10% to 12% of weight is still a significant result. Plus, pills are much more convenient than injectibles. They're easier to store and take, and don't require a needle. Drug companies should focus on promoting these benefits to market the pills as a good weight loss option.
The news: AstraZeneca is rolling out the first flu vaccine for at-home use, a nasal spray called FluMist Home. Our take: AstraZeneca’s at-home vaccine option offers an appealing new convenience but still faces vaccine hesitancy and change skeptics. While the marketing is just rolling out, social media parent influencer voices and partnering with trusted physicians will be important to build trust.
The news: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is reviving a children’s vaccine task force after pressure from anti-vaccine advocates. The reinstated Task Force on Safer Childhood Vaccines will be led by NIH director Jay Bhattacharya and include FDA and CDC senior officials. Our take: The HHS’ vaccine moves will stoke already growing vaccine hesitancy and mistrust. Healthcare providers and vaccine makers need to ally with medical groups and experts to double down on the proven science of vaccines in clear and reassuring communications to parents and consumers. They should underscore the importance of preventive vaccines for individual children and broader public health.
The news: Apple is bringing back blood oxygen monitoring for Apple Watch as part of its health and wellness features. Apple discontinued the feature in the US in 2023 after a patent dispute and court ruling forced the halt. The takeaway: Apple still leads smartwatch brands with a 22% market share, but its dominance has slipped. Health and wellness features incorporating AI assistance are key for future growth. Tech companies should market wearables as health tools for consumers, especially to older demographics who have greater health needs but lower smartwatch adoption rates.
The news: Costco has opted against dispensing the FDA-approved abortion pill mifepristone at its 500+ pharmacy locations, per Bloomberg. Our take: Costco's position could offend many of its customers and reverse the goodwill it has earned by holding firm on its DEI policies amid right-wing criticism. Costco might risk further brand damage if it stands by the reason of weak consumer demand when there’s evidence showing an uptick in medication abortions.
The news: 26.5% of US adults with type 2 diabetes used a GLP-1 injectable drug last year, per CDC data published Thursday. Our take: While type 2 diabetes is still driving most GLP-1 prescribing today, there’s a healthcare opportunity to address obesity at the same time. Providers need to proactively educate patients with obesity about the risk for type 2 diabetes, while marketers can message GLP-1s as preventive care. Partner with physicians who’ve seen the benefits for their patients and social influencers touting health benefits they’ve gained after starting GLP-1s for weight loss.
The trend: Even amid the surging popularity of weight loss drugs, 60% of respondents to a recent Tebra survey admitted they’re hesitant to ask physicians about GLP-1 medications. Our take: Healthcare and pharma players in the GLP-1 space will want to double down on messaging that obesity is a chronic condition that often requires medication, while integrating testimonials from GLP-1 patients who are proud of their weight loss achievements. Marketers should also craft content that addresses physicians’ specific biases against weight loss drugs and refutes common misconceptions.
The news: Eli Lilly is hiking the UK price of its diabetes and weight loss drug Mounjaro by as much as 170% starting next month, depending on the dose size. The drugmaker also said it’s been working on raising prices of its medications in Europe and other developed countries. Our take: Drug pricing is so complicated that it could benefit pharma manufacturers, because it will be hard to know whether they’re truly equalizing prices or just finding ways around the Trump administration’s demands that other drugmakers could copy.
The trend: Most consumers are skeptical of the health information they see on social media, according to a new KFF survey. The big takeaway: Even as social media increasingly becomes a health information tool, consumers know there is plenty of medical misinformation and influencer self-promotion flooding the internet. But these survey findings also present an opportunity for healthcare brands and marketers to stand out from the crowd with platform-specific strategies that can help build customer relationships.
The news: GenAI models can easily be influenced to perpetuate false health facts when they’re fed made-up medical terms and information, per a new Mount Sinai research published in Nature last week. Our take: As more consumers rely on open GPT models for health answers, misinformation and intentional disinformation pose growing risks to both personal and public health. There’s an opportunity for healthcare and pharma marketers to step up science-based AI marketing and communications, such as Pfizer’s custom genAI medical query tool Health Answers that sources answers from medical journals and peer-reviewed research.
The news: BlinkRx debuted a new quick startup direct-to-consumer (D2C) offering for pharma companies, on the heels of President Trump’s demand for more D2C drug distribution. Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr, joined the board of BlinkRx in February. BlinkRx told Bloomberg it did not consult with Trump Jr. nor anyone in the Trump administration about the new offering. The takeaway: Pharma companies were already looking at new access models and ways to build direct connections to patients, but with the now pressing Trump demands, there’s new opportunity for digital health companies to offer vetted plug-and-play models.
The news: The identified gunman in a fatal shooting at the CDC’s Atlanta headquarters had blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for making him ill and suicidal, according to media reports. Our take: Building trust in government health agencies like the CDC is crucial. Physician associations and healthcare and pharma companies can help reinforce the credibility of the medical establishment by partnering with trusted local doctors, pharmacists, and patient advocacy organizations to inform consumers on the benefits of government-endorsed treatments and the risks of being unvaccinated.
The trend: Healthcare and pharma marketers plan to increase or maintain spending on every digital media channel, according to a May 2025 survey from Mediaocean. The big takeaway: Healthcare and pharma marketers have established their presence and corresponding strategies on still-important media channels such as CTV and search. Digital video and social media are underexplored advertising opportunities for this space.
The news: The FDA laid out a new FDA PreCheck initiative, aimed at helping pharma companies build US manufacturing plants more quickly. The takeaway: FDA PreCheck may ease manufacturing regulations and trim review time, but navigating real estate, construction, and skilled labor issues still means pharma companies are facing years-long timelines to reshore drug manufacturing. Trump has promised a year or two grace period on his proposed 250% tariffs, but that may not be long enough to get plants up and running. Pharma should look to cut deals—like Apple’s recent tariff exemption granted by Trump after it promised to invest $100 billion in US manufacturing—to guarantee exemptions as long as projects are underway.
The news: Illinois passed a law banning AI therapy, becoming the first state to outlaw the technology for mental health advising. Therapists in the state can still use AI for administrative tasks like transcription and note taking, but not for diagnoses or treatment decisions. Our take: Healthcare providers need to balance the need for AI mental health chatbots with the potential for misuse. Look for digital health companies using tested science and research to develop AI therapy chatbots, transparent practices, and safeguards for flagging problems.
The situation: The compounded GLP-1 market isn’t dying down as quickly as previously expected. Our take: Online healthcare companies are getting crafty with how they market and sell compounded GLP-1s. Novo and Lilly will keep experimenting with legal tactics to get copycat GLP-1s off the market, but their path to victory in court is unclear. Short of the FDA stepping in—and it doesn’t seem like it will—the battle of pharma vs. compounded weight loss drug sellers will get even messier.
The news: Eli Lilly’s stock plunged about 14% on Thursday as clinical results of its experimental obesity pill orforglipron fell short of Wall Street expectations. Our take: We think Lilly has the edge over Novo, despite Thursday’s market reversal due to Lilly’s obesity pill falling short in its trial. That’s likely just a near-term blip—12% weight loss in a little over a year validates that the medication is quite effective, especially when considering that most people would prefer a pill to injecting themselves. Lilly also has in its favor that Zepbound drives better weight loss results than Wegovy, while it faces less competition from the copycat GLP-1 market since semaglutide is more commonly compounded than tirzepatide.